Anyone can be homeless at any time. While most people can’t fathom the idea of not having a roof over their head or a daily shower, millions of people suffer everyday with homelessness. Unfortunately, the number of homeless people far outweighs the number of shelters. You can help people by starting your own nonprofit homeless shelter, but be prepared for a lot of hard work.

Steps

Part 1

Organizing Your Shelter

1

Prepare a mission statement. Clearly outline your intentions, goals, and services. Identify the number of individuals you can shelter and whether you will offer a foot pantry, pet assistance, or career counseling. Your mission statement can be anywhere from a few sentences to a few pages.

2

Find a location for your shelter. Ideally, someone will donate a building to you. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay rent, which can make it hard to run a homeless shelter.[1] Drive around the neighborhood and check for abandoned buildings. You can find the owner by visiting the county assessor’s office and checking tax records.

Also make requests for a donation through media, such as radio/TV shows, newspapers, and social media.

You can only have a shelter in an area zoned for it, so check zoning laws as well.

3

Walk through the buildings. Your building should have bathrooms and working showers for the residents. Some homeless shelters have individual showers, but many have communal showers.[2] When you visit a building, check the plumbing and confirm there is enough space to install showers.

Decide whether you want to provide meals to your residents as well. If you do, there needs to be a working kitchen where you can prepare food. You’ll also need space for residents to eat, which should be separate from the sleeping area.

4

Partner with another nonprofit. Talk to nonprofits in your area and discuss your interest in starting a homeless shelter. They might give you tips about how to get off the ground. They might also have funds you can use to defray start-up costs.[3]

Consult with religious institutions, such as churches, synagogues, and mosques. Their values should align with yours, so they might be particularly eager to help you start a homeless shelter.

5

Find financing. If you can’t get another nonprofit to fund you, you’ll need to find funds on your own. This can be a challenge. You can apply for government grants, which you can find online. In the U.S., check grants.gov and usa.gov.[4] Consider other sources of funding:

Friends and family. Show them your proposal in which you explain why you are starting the homeless shelter and how you will use the money.[5]

Donors. People who don’t know you might donate to the homeless shelter. They’ll need some way to find you, so you might want to create a website. Set up the website so that you can accept Paypal.

6

Get legal help. You need to jump through many hoops to start your homeless shelter. You’ll need expert legal advice, which only a qualified attorney can provide. Although money might be tight, you should still look for a lawyer.

Some lawyers are happy to provide services pro bono to nonprofits. Talk to a local attorney and ask if they know someone willing to work pro bono.

Your articles will require basic information about your corporation, e.g., your name, principal place of business, and a registered agent who can accept legal papers.[7]

Submit your articles to the address provided along with your fee. Each jurisdiction sets its own fees, but plan on spending a couple hundred dollars.[8]

2

Draft bylaws. Your bylaws are your nonprofit’s operating manual. You probably don’t need to file them with your jurisdiction, but you should keep them at your principal place of business. Nonprofit bylaws should contain the following:[9]

Basic information, such as your corporate name and the location of your principal office.

A description of your business purpose.

An explanation of how you are dedicating your nonprofit’s assets. For example, if you dissolve, you will probably give your assets to another nonprofit.

The number of directors, as well as their qualifications and duties.

The number of officers, including information about how they will be elected, their duties, and compensation.

A well-developed conflict of interest policy, which is meant to protect your nonprofit from being taken advantage of by directors, officers, and other insiders.

3

Get a business license. Contact your city or county government to get the applicable business license. Generally, you’ll need to provide your name, contact information, tax ID number, and number of employees. You usually must pay a fee.

Apply for federal tax-exempt status. U.S. nonprofits should download the application from the IRS website: Form 1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3). If you’re a smaller nonprofit, check whether you can file Form 1023-EZ.

You’ll need to provide financial information. If you’re a new nonprofit, you must provide financial data for every year you’ve been in existence and estimates for future years. You may need an accountant to help you.

You should file for tax-exempt status within 27 months of filing your articles of incorporation. If you do, your tax-exempt status is retroactive to the date you filed your articles.[10]

Once you are approved, you’ll receive a determination letter. Hold onto this, since you will probably need to show it to many people.

6

Apply for state tax-exempt status. In the U.S., you might also need tax-exempt status from your state. Contact your state’s tax agency. Generally, you’ll need to complete an application and submit a copy of your federal determination letter.[11]

Part 3

Preparing to Open

1

Obtain insurance. Many things could go wrong in the shelter. For example, a resident might slip and fall or residents might become violent. In any event, you’ll need to get insurance to protect you.

You can obtain a policy by find an insurance agent in your phone book. Also talk to other homeless shelters about what insurance they carry.

2

Appoint directors to the board. Your directors will make major financial and policy decisions for your homeless shelter. Your jurisdiction should set the number of directors you must have. However, in the U.S., you should have at least three.[12]

Find people with skills that will benefit your homeless shelter. For example, a former manager of a homeless shelter might make a great director.

Prominent business people also make good directors. They know other business owners in the community and can raise your profile.

Appoint officers, such as President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. In a small nonprofit, one person can take on more than one role.

Note that you have received tax-exempt status.

Authorize someone to open a bank account for the homeless shelter.

4

Hire volunteers. One or two people can’t run a homeless shelter on their own. Instead, you’ll need plenty of volunteers who can work at night and in the morning. Advertise for volunteers in your local newspaper and online.[14]

If you partner with a religious institution, you can ask its members to volunteer. Request an opportunity to speak to the congregation about your homeless shelter.

5

Train volunteers. Contact a nearby shelter and ask if they can send someone over to give trainings on how to run things. Staff will need to check in residents, handle violent or unstable residents, and keep the shelter clean. You should make sure staff receives all necessary training.

Your staff also needs to be aware of state laws regulating homeless shelters. For example, in some states, the homeless are given ID numbers. Your staff will need to enter this information into a computer system.[15]

6

Hire employees. You might not be able to get by with only volunteers. Instead, you might need to hire full- or part-time staff, such as janitors, cooks, security guards, etc. Comply with your jurisdiction’s laws regarding hiring employees.

In the U.S., you’ll need to report all new hires to your state’s New Hire Reporting office within 20 days. This is required for all full- or part-time employees but not independent contractors. You should register for an account with your state office.

You may also need to buy workers’ compensation insurance. Talk to your insurance agent.

7

Ask for food donations. Go to grocery stores and tell them about your homeless shelter. Ask if they can donate any food to your kitchen.[16] Make sure to take copies of your legal documents with you to show that you are a legitimate nonprofit. Business owners will want to see your nonprofit determination letter as well as your business license and articles of incorporation.

8

Request donations for other items. Your homeless shelter will need cots, pillows, blankets, toys, and other items.[17] Ask businesses in the community if they are willing to donate. You should visit in person, which will give you a chance to talk about your shelter.

However, also cast a wider net. Write a letter to your local Chamber of Commerce describing your homeless shelter and stating what you need. They can share your letter with members.

Also consider giving an interview to local media. Point out that you are a nonprofit and you are accepting donations.

You might find it helpful to read: How to Write a Business Plan. In terms of tailoring it to a homeless shelter, ask the municipality for some precedents or look online for examples from existing homeless shelter operations. It might help to call or visit one to talk to someone who has already prepared such a business plan, to find out what they'd recommend form part of this plan.

I want to start a battered women's shelter, I just need help how to get started. What do I need to do?

wikiHow Contributor

It would help if you wrote your business plan first or at least part of it. Go to a city meeting and other women's groups to start getting the word out and make sure you incorporate your mission statement and what you need in your speech.

That depends on where you live, what your state and local requirements are, and how much financial backing or support you have for the project. Give it at least a good six months or so of organizational work and getting permits, etc. but realistically, it may take longer.

It depends on where you live, as the details will vary from state to state/municipality to municipality, etc. Contact your local city offices and ask for their assistance in advising on the correct address.

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JP

Jacquelyn Pope

May 30

"This article helped me to find direction, for when I first thought about starting a shelter, I felt like a fish out of water. I thought being that I never had any experience, that no one would give me any information and I had no chance of doing anything. Now I have a different outlook and there's a chance for me to do something for my fellow man."..." more

KJ

Keyarsha Jordan

Sep 7, 2016

"This put a smile on my face because I am trying to open up a homeless shelter for these people who are in need of the help to get on their feet again. All the information the article gave me was helpful and I thank you for this. Now I can take my steps."..." more

JF

Juanita Fredericks

Mar 9

"This article opened my eyes as to how I can make an impact in my own community. I have been struggling to get into voluntary work. It made me realize that I can use my own resources, such as my home, to help. "..." more

RH

Rebekah Hord

Sep 2, 2016

"i didn't even think about my business statement and the importance of it through the process and promotion of the shelter. It helped me greatly to think outside the box and truly evaluate my goal."..." more

QB

Quanny Brown

Jun 29

"It helped me a lot. All the information I need to know about open up my own shelter. With this help, now everything is going just right for me. Thanks again, God bless you all"..." more

Rated this article:

MC

M. Cooper

Nov 10

"The details and steps provided were beneficial. If you're going into this business and have no idea where to start, these steps can point you in the right direction."..." more

SS

Seda Simsek

Oct 22

"This was perfect step by step. I'm from Australia, and you have made it really simple to implement the steps and alter them according to the country you're in."..." more

CM

Cel Martin

Sep 14, 2016

"This has been a dream of mine. I am going to follow the directions. I have already done a proposal, but reading this will change a few items in it. Thank you."..." more

TS

Triy Spencer

Aug 27

"Told me the things I will need to do. I had no clue I will need a business license. Need to file the tax exempt on federal and state levels. "..." more

TK

Teddie King

Jul 3

"This article has been of immense help, showing me how to navigate through uncharted waters. You guys are doing a terrific job, keep it up!"..." more

RM

R.C. Miller

Sep 21, 2016

"A wealth of knowledge to help my passion to provide for the less fortunate or those that are transitioning back into society effectively."..." more

MG

Marlene Grewe

Nov 24, 2016

"It helped with letting me know that there are a lot of steps and things you can easily overlook without the help of planning. Thank you."..." more

LS

Larietha Strong

Jun 6, 2016

"This article was very helpful in giving advice step by step! It allowed me to have insight on what I need and what to expect!"..." more

JR

Jovana Rome

Apr 18, 2016

"You helped me in a good way by letting me know more about my project and how to go about making good choices for the shelter."..." more

AJ

Arthur Jones

Aug 10, 2016

"Just knowing that there is more than enough help in getting starting with the shelter is awesome. Thanks, and may God bless."..." more

MF

Malika Flowers

Aug 24

"I'd like to start a non-profit day shelter and this article gave me great ideas on how to get started and look for funding."..." more